Patriots cut Jabar Gaffney among moves to get to 75

The Patriots announced their roster moves Monday afternoon, and they cleared out some of the veteran receivers to make room for a younger one.

In addition to the previously reported Donte Stallworth move, they also cut wideout Jabar Gaffney.

Also released were defensive linemen Gerard Warren and Tim Bulman and safety Ross Ventrone (who will probably be re-signed and cut six more times before the start of the regular season).

Releasing Gaffney clears out a veteran who might have otherwise taken away receptions from their well-paid cast of tight ends. But he can still play and probably won’t be out of work long.

Defensive back Will Allen, safety Josh Barrett and fullback Spencer Larsen were placed on injured reserve, and tight end Jake Ballard and defensive lineman Myron Pryor were placed on the reserve-PUP. Rookie offensive lineman Markus Zusevics was placed on the reserve-Non Football Injury list.

The Patriots also claimed first-year WR Kerry Taylor off waivers from the Vikings. He was on their practice squad last year.

I’m surprised. Jabar’s a pretty underrated player. He had just under 1,000 yards last year catching balls from Rex Grossman and John Beck. Of course he wouldn’t be that productive with the Pats, but he could have definitely played a part. I’m sure he won’t be out of a job for long.

I’m actually surprised at the shock of him getting cut has caused. While I agree he’s not a bad player, and I would rarely say that “one” play ever makes a game, Jabar made two “gaffes” (yes, pun intended) in one season that made me say to myself, “Self, that man is getting cut at the end of this season.”

2008. Pats vs. Colts. Gaffney drops an “easy” 40 yard TD pass from Cassel, which would have led to a likely victory and resulted in the Pats missing the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Within a few weeks of that same game he dropped a first-down catch against the Jets in which the Pats were beaten in overtime.

My point is, while a better than average player, he’s not as reliable as I would want him to be, and I would rather make room for someone far younger to see how they pan out.

And as a total side note, when Welker dropped that pass from Brady in the Super Bowl, while it wasn’t a perfect throw, I still said to myself, “Self, that man just missed out on getting paid next year.”